


From Whispers On The Street

by kimmychee



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Angst and Feels, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Backstory, Drabble, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Headcanon, Implied/Referenced Sex, Long, Romance, Saint Endalim's Scholasticate
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-22
Updated: 2018-05-22
Packaged: 2019-05-10 00:24:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,348
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14726456
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kimmychee/pseuds/kimmychee
Summary: Drama in the Scholasticate.  The future Warrior of Light runs away from home.





	From Whispers On The Street

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place before the events of the game. My character Severine is involved in some serious drama that leads to her becoming an adventurer. This is how she ends up leaving Ishgard.

It came as no surprise to Severine that Rowan had now seemed to want her killed.  Despite her gradual fall from grace, she was still one of the Scholasticate’s prized pupils.  For her, life was good in a way. She had love in her life, and she had a nearly clear path for the future.  She no longer wished to be in the clergy, but she wished to be at Aymeric’s side on the front lines. Though, to be fair, she never really wanted to be in the clergy in the first place and now with the series of events that had occurred she had kind of ruined her chances to do so. She gave into temptations of the flesh, multiple times, it didn’t hurt that she was deeply in love with Ser Aymeric.  They had their nights of passion when their souls became one if only for a fleeting moment. Severine would never forget it, she had hoped that Aymeric wouldn’t soon forget it either. Her parents would certainly disown her if knowledge of her romance and where she really was those nights she said she was going to be studying alongside Ariadne became known. Part of her didn’t care anymore, her heart belonged to him.  It was as if she were living in a dream, and she was in a state of bliss, especially when she was around him.

For that, she would practice combative magic, and he taught her how to wield a sword, just in case.  She was already versed in the arcane, black and white magics, Severine would only need to further her ability with practice.  She seemed to be overly curious about dragons, further curiosity than what was written in Ishgardian scripture. To her it seemed to be a practical way to study how to better slay them.  

Severine had returned to the Scholasticate after spending some time practicing her swordsmanship with Aymeric. She had moved from wood to steel, and she was feeling pretty good about it.  Smoothing out her coat, she made sure her hair was in a state of perfection. Their practice had ended and well they got distracted. He said she looked fine, but she needed to be extra cautious.  She was cheerful, and she supposed that a full heart would do that. Her best friend was there to greet her too. The little miqo'te offered Severine a smile.

“Well you’re glowing.”

“Am I?”

“So what happened today?”

“Oh I guess I graduated from wood to steel. Even though Aymeric had me on my back… not like _that_ Ariadne. He did mention that I’m getting better.”

“I wasn’t going to say anything about that.”

“Your face does say a thousand words.”

“But you lost to him didn’t you? Also I’d pull your collar up.”

Oh right, the bruise on her neck. Severine re-tied the ribbon on her coat a tad tighter so that it would cover the mark that Aymeric gave her. Sometimes they got carried away.  Of course they did, she found him irresistible. The thought of him brought a smile to her face. Any woman would admit that Ser Aymeric was one of the most handsome young men in the Congregation of Our Knights Most Heavenly.  To Severine, his face was a bonus in a way. She fell in love with his pragmatic and idealistic character. He had big dreams, and she supported them, but that was part of why she loved him so much.

“Severine, you really don’t want to be in the clergy do you?”

“I never did. That was the plan my parents had in mind for me.”

“What are your dreams then?”

“I wish to join Aymeric on the battlefield. Fight at his side, have his back, you know?”

“I think that’s fantastic. Is that why you asked him to teach you how to fight with a sword?”

“Yes. I also thought it was a good excuse for us to spend more time together. He thought so too.” She grinned.

Footsteps approached the two of them.

“My, my. You? On time today? It’s almost as though you care about your prestige.”

“Rowan. Do me a huge favor, and take a dip in the Sea of Clouds, yes?”

“Now, you wouldn’t want Father Saturnois to hear your vitriol, would you? Though I wouldn’t mind if he heard and had you thrown out of the Scholasticate.”

“Go ahead. Can’t say that I’d be terribly hurt if I was expelled.”

At this point Severine really didn’t care. She rolled her eyes at Rowan and walked towards the school. Rowan followed after her. He spotted the bruise on her neck.

“Well aren’t you the little harlot. Not that I’m really surprised.”

“Excuse me?”

“It explains everything really.”

Severine realized he had seen the mark Aymeric gave her. Gasping in a slight panic, she pulled up her ribbon to better cover it. Ariadne offered her scarf, and Severine accepted it with a grin and a ‘thank you’.  Wrapping the soft fabric around her neck, she at least attempted to make it look like it went with her uniform. Rowan wasn’t going to let his circle of friends remain ignorant of what he saw. To Severine’s dismay, he immediately told his friends what he saw.  That was when they began whispering, and side-eyeing her.

Well she no longer had her virtue and she was hardly ashamed of it considering who it was she surrendered it to.  She wasn’t going to try to deny it, but she didn’t want her beloved knight to be caught in the crossfire of whatever drama was about to begin.  She also wished to protect Ariadne.

“I also heard that you have been doing a lot of research into the Dravanians. Are you doubting the faith?”

“I have no idea just what you’re getting at.”

“Don’t play dumb. We know you’re bordering on heresy.”

“That’s ridiculous absolutely ridiculous.”

Class was about to begin, and so Severine and her classmates turned their attentions to the instructor. What she hadn’t seen was Rowan’s friend slipping something into her bag.  It shimmered slightly but it went into Severine’s bag unnoticed. Their plan was in motion. Within several hours, class was over. Instead of going to see Aymeric, Severine decided on going home.  When she got there, her father was waiting for her. He ordered her to sit. From the sound of his tone, he was far from happy.

“What is this I hear of your grades slipping?”

“Been having trouble lately is all.”

“And what’s this I hear about you being promiscuous?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Have you laid with a man?”

“No!”

“Do not lie to me, Severine! You know what that would do to your dreams!”

“Not my dreams.  Yours.”

“Don’t start that.”

“You know what, yes. Since you seem to clearly think that I’ve laid with someone. I’ll go ahead and say you have the right of it. And there is naught you can do about it.”

Shadows seemed to creep into her father’s face. As though the legacy of the family had been completely tarnished and the shreds of whatever love for his child he had left seemed to vacate his soul completely. He delivered a swift backhand to Severine’s face. Their family lived for prestige, and Severine had destroyed what reputation they had. Her mother was standing in the doorway, sneering at her. The two of them were so consumed with their shallow desires they didn’t seem to care a damn about the behavior they subjected their daughter to.  They were otherwise happy when she was in line, but now she rebelled in what seemed like the worst way possible and that was unacceptable.

“Get out of my sight. You are not my daughter any more.” He huffed. “Disgraced. I never want to see you again, are we clear?”

“Fine.”

She held back a sob, mostly from the stinging sensation in her cheek. He had struck her hard enough that she had bitten her lip, and now she had that familiar metallic taste of blood in her mouth. She turned on her heel and started for her bedroom.  There she packed some valuables into a bag, some money, tools, a couple weapons. She’d go live in the Brume if she had to. That was it then. She walked out of her family home and towards the cathedral carrying her bookbag and the one with her survival goods on her back. On her way there, she stopped by the place where she and Aymeric usually met, and hid her pack there taking only her bookbag with her to the Scholasticate.

As she approached the Scholasticate, she spotted Rowan with Father Saturnois behind him.  Rowan wore a grin on his face which told her nothing good was in store for her.

“I heard you were teetering close to heresy, Miss Devereux.”

Ariadne had started approaching her friend, but heard the word ‘heresy’ that made her turn on her heels and run the other direction.  Seeing this, Severine’s heart dropped into her stomach. Of course she would be made to bear this on her own.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Father. If it seems I’m too curious about dragons it’s so I could discover how best to slay them in the future.”

“Rowan, that’s not what you told me.”

The young man spoke up.  “You should check her bag. I swore I saw her toy with something suspicious.”

“I’ll confiscate your bag then, Miss Devereux and inform you of any developments.” He seemed to trust her more than Rowan, but that remained to be seen.

She gave him her bag, not knowing what was in it other than her books and school work. Father Saturnois walked away with her bag.  She heard the clacking on steel greaves on the stone streets along with the sound of heels on the stone as well. Turning, she saw Aymeric and Ariadne running towards her. She went to fetch him? Rowan, still standing there raised an eyebrow.

“The Seven Hells is a Temple Knight doing here?”

Reaching her, Aymeric took Severine’s hands, only to see the bruise forming on her cheek. Worry overtook his features as he ignored Severine’s classmates. Severine’s shoulders dropped, she did little to conceal her relief that he and Ariadne were there. She was wrong about what Ariadne had done.

“Severine, what happened? Ariadne said that you might have been accused of heresy? She was worried and came to fetch me.”

She sniffled a bit. “Aymeric… I… you came for me? I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

“You’re the one they say is the archbishop’s bastard aren’t you?” Rowan spoke up.

“You best keep your forked tongue behind your teeth if you know what’s good for you.”

Aymeric turned his attention to Severine, he tugged at her hands. She looked as though she had just been through hell and back.

“Come with me. Thank you, Ariadne.”

Nodding, Severine did as he asked. Ariadne left towards the library, she did what she could to help her friend.  Aymeric took her to Borel Manor where he sat Severine on a couch and held her hands. He waited for her to say something.  It was uncharacteristic of her to be so quiet with him, but there must have been more going on. But then she started crying. How long had she been holding in those tears?

“My family knows about us.” She managed to say. “I have been ejected from my home, and I have nowhere to go.”

“Nay, you do have somewhere to go. You can stay here for as long as you wish.”

Severine emitted a soft sob as he pressed his forehead to hers.  He lifted his head, only to press a kiss to her forehead. Getting up, Aymeric went to fetch some tea for her, perhaps something warm would help to comfort her.  She was left alone with her thoughts, only to hear a knock on the door. Ariadne burst in.

“Sev, they found a Dravanian artifact, in your bag, they’re going to come for you in the morning! What do we do?”

Aymeric returned empty-handed once he heard Ariadne.

“What are you talking about, what artifact?”

“Father Saturnois found a Dravanian artifact, probably a rosary in her bag.  She is confirmed to be a heretic.” Ariadne was speaking a hundred malms an hour, “We can figure out something to prove the claim as false. I know that must have been something cooked up by Rowan and his friends to damn her.”

“Why do those two hate each other so much?”

“They have been rivals for as long as anyone can remember.  Ever since she beat him in one of the academic competitions and earned higher prestige than him, he’s been doing everything he can to knock her down a peg.”

Their voices were drowned out by Severine’s thoughts.  She needed to put as much distance between herself and Ishgard as possible.  Her thoughts were interrupted by her two closest companions taking seats beside her.  She watched Aymeric and Ariadne discuss possible ways to help, and prove Severine’s innocence.  Yet, she could only think to run away. Eventually Ariadne was sent home, and Aymeric offered Severine a room to stay in for as long as she wished.  Borel Manor was soon silent. This had to happen. She apologized silently to Aymeric and Ariadne, she didn’t want to tell them that her solution was to flee. They couldn’t know, and then later be questioned and possibly hurt. She knew Aymeric was destined for better things, and refused to put a black mark on his ledger because he wanted to protect her.

Severine snuck out, making her way to where she hid her bag with her effects in it.  She picked her bag up, and made her way down to the Steps of Faith. After making it seem like she was a merchant, she was let out of the Holy See and into the Central Highlands. That was when she simply walked, attempting to put as much distance between herself and Ishgard as possible.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm so sorry I'm rusty. I was kind of nervous about posting this one.


End file.
